YEREVAN, Armenia / AfricaWire.IO / – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has emphasized the need for immediate and effective international measures to halt environmental deterioration and the decline of biodiversity. He delivered this appeal during the Leaders’ Summit in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on Friday, October 16, ahead of the 17th United Nations Biodiversity Conference, also known as COP17, scheduled from October 19 to 30. Guterres warned that over one million species are now at risk of extinction.
He called on governments to boost investment in solutions aimed at conserving ecosystems and urged greater engagement from private sector actors and local communities in conservation initiatives. The Secretary-General pointed out that climate disruption, overgrazing, and excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides are fueling a triple planetary crisis—comprising pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change—that is pushing the planet toward becoming uninhabitable.
Guterres characterized Yerevan as a pivotal moment of accountability halfway to 2030. Countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022, aiming to protect 30% of the planet’s land and sea by the decade’s end. Nearly 90% of parties have set national biodiversity targets, and more than half have drafted national road maps. Nonetheless, Guterres emphasized that progress remains inconsistent and too sluggish.
Growing financial imbalance hampers conservation
The UN chief highlighted a stark disparity in global expenditure, noting that for every dollar spent on protecting nature, $30 is invested in activities that harm it. In 2023, $7.3 trillion went into industries detrimental to nature, including heavy industry, destructive agriculture, and fossil fuels. Guterres urged governments to eliminate harmful subsidies and pointed to the UN-supported Cali Fund as a platform for benefiting companies to contribute to conservation efforts.
Achieving global biodiversity, climate, and land restoration targets will require substantially increased funding, with annual investment in nature-based solutions needing to reach $571 billion by 2030—about 0.5% of global gross domestic product. Currently, biodiversity financing is less than half of the $200 billion yearly commitment under the global framework. Guterres also pointed out that debt burdens and limited budgets hinder developing countries’ ability to invest in nature.
Protection goals remain out of reach
Existing national commitments fall significantly short of the 30% protection target. Even if countries fulfill their pledges, only 26% of terrestrial and 12% of marine ecosystems would be safeguarded by 2030. Since 2022, an additional 1.3 million square kilometres of land and 6 million square kilometres of ocean have gained formal protection. Guterres urged nations to meet the 30 by 30 objective and to shift from policies that destroy nature to those that sustain it.
He also called for increased involvement from youth, civil society, women, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, emphasizing that environmental degradation often impacts the most vulnerable populations hardest. The Secretary-General welcomed the Yerevan Declaration’s commitment to integrate biodiversity into national policies, budgets, and regulations. Delegates now prepare for COP17, where countries will evaluate collective progress toward the 2030 goals, with Guterres stressing that there is no time to delay.